The Connecticut Department of Public Health confirmed the second case of Zika in Connecticut. The HHS secretary will also host a roundtable at a Loíza health center to hear directly from women affected by the Zika virus.
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The most urgent priority, she said, was for new tools with which to quickly diagnose the virus in infected people – particularly in pregnant women whose babies risk being severely disabled by Zika. The disease can cause fever, rash, muscle and joint aches and red eyes.
Missouri health officials have approved 155 samples from residents for Zika testing, including 108 pregnant women. According to the CDC, babies with microcephaly often have smaller head sizes and brains that might not have developed properly.
“We are strongly recommending that pregnant women and spouses or sexual partners of women who are pregnant or might be pregnant, avoid traveling to areas where Zika virus has been identified, if at all possible”, said Oklahoma State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley in the release.
The Zika virus originated in Africa, but the current outbreak began in Brazil, where the government has documented 4,000 cases of microcephaly believed to have been triggered by the Zika virus. The administration reluctantly transferred nearly $600 million in previously appropriated funds to take on Zika, but says more money is still needed.
The virus is primarily spread through mosquito bites and can also be transmitted through sex and blood transfusions.
“These mosquitoes tend to bite during the day, but that doesn’t mean that there’s not still a chance of getting bitten at night”, she said. Of those, 33 were pregnant women and another 8 were sexually transmitted.
According to the department, almost 80% of people infected with the virus experience zero virus-related symptoms.
She has been confirmed to have contracted the virus, but isn’t experiencing any symptoms. Officials said no Aedes mosquitos have been found in San Francisco. It is the main culprit of the zika epidemic as well as that of other viruses like dengue or chikungunya. About 600 disease experts from 43 nations are gathering in the French capital to pore over scant but increasingly worrisome data about the Zika virus sweeping Latin America and threatening the world. The virus has been associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease that damages the peripheral nervous system, causing weakness and, in some cases, paralysis.
“I do have a few concerns”, said University of Southampton pest control expert Chris Jackson.
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The positive test announcement came exactly five weeks after the DPH reported the first case of Zika in CT.
